Monday, November 21, 2011

Please help us uncover some of the stories behind our objects. Leave a comment with anything you may know about the featured item. We welcome all information, and we’d appreciate sources and citations when possible. Thanks!

What we know:

This item belonged to Rita Trombly Manning when she worked for the FBI from the 1940s to 1970s.

We know Ms. Trombly worked as a stenographer, someone who takes notes in shorthand, in various departments, including the Records and Communications Division and the Crime Records Division.

A note included with the object says, “Device allows you to insert an already typed paper and add another line to it.”

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

On November 8, 2011 the Detroit Red Wings hosted their Second Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Night at the Joe Louis Arena, donating $10.00 from each ticket sold to the National Law Enforcement Museum. That night 1,863 tickets were sold, raising over $18,630 to help build the Museum. The Museum held a 50/50 raffle and auction which raised an additional $500 for the Museum, bringing the total raised to $19,130.

FLEOA National President Jon Adler
rides on the zamboni during intermission.

Before the game, there was a moment of silence and Amazing Grace was performed by The Metro Detroit Police and Fire Pipes and Drums, headed by Dearborn (MI) Police Department, Detective Sergeant (ret) Gary Marchetti. National Colors were presented by the Michigan State FOP.

Special thanks to John Shanks, Director of Development and Law Enforcement Relations, Jon Adler, FLEOA National President and Memorial Fund Board Member as well as Brent Clark, Law Enforcement Ambassador for helping with the event. In addition, the Museum would like to thank the Detroit Red Wings for honoring all of America’s law enforcement heroes and helping build the National Law Enforcement Museum.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Last night, the National Law Enforcement Museum co-hosted the Washington, DC premiere of Clint Eastwood's film, J. Edgar at the Newseum.

Mr. Eastwood, Honorary Chairman of the National Law Enforcement Museum and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund gathered alongside special guests and dignitaries to promote J. Edgar. The film examines the compelling life of the first FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, portrayed by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

“Law enforcement is a very underrated profession — so many have given so much. The dangers are always there and we’re thankful for the people who keep us safe. Embracing the idea of shooting a film about J. Edgar Hoover was quite an interesting project because he was such an interesting man and there’s always been a lot of discussion around him,” Mr. Eastwood said in his remarks before the premiere of the film.

In 2010, the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation donated over 5,000 items from Director Hoover's estate, including office desk, chair and telephone, presentation items, awards, photographs, correspondence, books, recordings of his speeches, and numerous other items that relate to his personal and professional life, including his tenure as director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972.

The National Law Enforcement Museum is the official repository of Mr. Hoover’s collection of personal effects, and select artifacts from the extensive collection were on display during the movie premiere. Guests were given a first-hand glimpse of such items as Director Hoover’s desk and desk accessories; original photographs from his childhood, as well as his years as FBI Director; and handwritten notes from his days as a law student at George Washington University.

The National Law Enforcement Museum will include the J. Edgar Hoover Research Center, made possible through a generous donation from the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation.

“Many Americans probably do not know that it was Mr. Hoover who required FBI agents to advise criminal suspects of their constitutional rights prior to arrest —15 years before the Supreme Court required Miranda warnings. He also instituted many other innovations including a centralized fingerprint file, forensics laboratories, a national compilation of crime statistics, and the FBI National Academy to increase effectiveness of state and local law enforcement,” Mr. Floyd stated as he addressed the audience before the film.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Earlier this year, the National Law Enforcement Museum signed its first-ever loan agreement with another museum. The Newseum, located in downtown Washington, D.C., is exhibiting a trial pass issued to J. Edgar Hoover to attend the 1942 trial of Nazi saboteurs who were part of a spy ring that was investigated and caught under Hoover's supervision by the FBI that year. The trial pass is a part of the larger Hoover Collection, which contains over 5,000 objects from the estate of J. Edgar Hoover. This is a milestone of sorts for the Museum. When a new museum loans artifacts to another museum, the new museum begins to establish its identity in the larger community of museums and makes the artifacts accessible to a wider audience.

The National Law Enforcement Museum is a work still in progress. The building is designed but not yet built; the exhibits have been planned but not yet constructed. The artifact collections, however, are tangible and real and inform the design, content, and programming of what the Museum will soon become. The collections of the Museum currently number almost 15,000 objects, documents, and photographs. By the time the Museum opens its doors in late 2013, the collections will be accessible to the public in a number of ways, including exhibits, publications, behind-the-scenes tours, and other educational programs.

The collections of the Museum are unique in that that they tell the national story of American law enforcement. In the United States, law enforcement is not a nationalized institution, and the agencies that make up law enforcement span the local, state, and federal continuum. The National Law Enforcement Museum will be the first place for other educational institutions, academicians, and researchers to come to learn the larger, national history of American law enforcement. Having Museum artifacts on exhibit in other museums serves the community by increasing public access to and awareness of law enforcement’s legacy. Loaning artifacts also serves to build collaborative partnerships with museums across the country.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Please help us uncover some of the stories behind our objects. Leave a comment with anything you may know about the featured item. We welcome all information, and we’d appreciate sources and citations when possible. Thanks!

What we know:Two of the figurines are holding pistols and two are holding Tommy guns.All four figurines are in excellent condition and were purchased together.

What we want to know:When were these toys produced and by whom?Were the figurines originally sold all together or separately?Were more figurines originally part of this set?Are these characters from a movie or television show? If so, which one?What kinds of lessons do you think someone might learn from playing with these figurines?

If you have any information about this object or own an object similar to this, leave us a comment!

MISSION

The National Law Enforcement Museum is a project of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The mission of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is to tell the story of American law enforcement and make it safer for those who serve.